Clutch-operating mechanism



"Spn 23 1924.

W. D. J BAXENDALE CLUTCH OPERATING MEcHANlsM Fld Deo. 9. 1919 To all whom t may concern.'

Patented Sept; 23, 1924 wrLnrAivr :nAvIn rAivrns BAXnNnALn, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

oLUTcnbrnnArrNs i/rnoirANrsNr.

Application filed December 9, 1919. Serial No. 343,498.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DAvin J'Atins BAXENDALE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland', residing `at London, England,` have invented new and `useful Improvements in or Relating to Clutch-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. y

My invention relates 'to mechanism for op erating clutches used for connecting driving and driven machines and usually operated manually or by means of af pedal, and the object of Vmy invention is to provide a means whereby such clutch mechanism may be operated by a Aperson who has been deprived of his legs and who may at the same time employ both hands in conducting or otherwise vmanipulating material being machined. p

According to this invention I provide a human body adjacent the waist; or a part adjacent the elbow or from these parts together; or from either of the parts separately.4 To this end abody member, for example, a pad, is furnished with a waved or bent rod adapted to reciprocate in the direction of movement of the opcratorfs body. The `waved or bent part of the rod passes under one end of a lever and acts as a cam `when the rod is pushed or released thus causing the saidlever to oscillate about its fulcrum or pivot and so to depress or raise respectively the opposite end thereof.

Toenable the; operator to work the clutch with his arm near the elbow a knob is placed conveniently and which when pressed down oscillates the lever last mentioned independently or together with the body member The end of this lever, remote fromthe bent rod, engages one end of an oscillating bar that is pivoted at its opposite end and this bar is straddled about mid-length by a fork carried by one end of abell-crank lever the said fork being connected to the bell-crank lever in place of the usual connecting rod employed, for example, in connection with a pedal in motor driven sewing machines. The said bell-crank lever carries on another end a pin which, when the bell-crank lever is depressed pushes the loose belt-pulley against a friction surface between it'and the constantly ruimingv driving pulley.

` In a preferred embodimentof this inveni tion in which the clutch is used for transmitting power when required from a motor The pad a is ablock shaped approximately to the contour of the body at the front near the waist and may be suitably cushioned as shown, and the waved or bent rod b extends at right angles inwardly from i the inner part of the pad to which it is fastened'and the waved or bent portion of the rod lies normally beneath a roller mounted ron the lever e while the rod is carried upon anti-friction rollers mounted one on each side of the leve-r c so that when the rod 7) is reciprocated by pressure of and released by the body relatively to the pad t its bent part acts as a cam upon the lever e which is thereby oscillated.

A spring c between the pad@ and the machine table Z causes thereturn of the former when the pressure of the body is removed. The lever e is pivoted between its ends at f, and near the end g farthest from the bent rod ZJ is a stem h for oscillating the lever by means of a knob pressed upon by an arm of the operator, being forked at its lower end so that it spans the said lever e. Between the knob of stem h and the table Z a spring is interposed and serves to raiseithe knob to its inoperative position. y

The end g of the lever farthest from the bent rod is pierced transversely to admit the end of a bar z' pivoted at y' at its opposite end so that `when the lever e is oscillated it oscillates the bar z' in turn. The said `bar z' passes between the prongs of a fork 7c carried by an end of lthe bell-crank lever Z pivoted at m and carrying the pin n which makes contact with the loose pulley o at its centre for pressing it against the friction surface between it and the `fast pulley p. A tension-spring g is placed between the pivoted bar z' and the table (l to relieve the fork 7c and the bell crank Z of an operative pressure.

It will be understood that the operator, to throw the clutch into gear, presses his body against the pad a and so, by moving the rod b, causes the bent part thereof to IOO lll

leave-the roller at the end ofthe lever e and in so doing 1to raise the said roller and With it that end of the lever the opposite end g ot which is thereby depressed together Withthat end oit' the pivoted bar t' which bar in turn depresses the ork'c car-.

ried by the outer end of the bell-crank Z. This bell crank, by kiiieansof the `pin 'n at its operative end presses the tast and loose pulleys, andro respectively, together so that theformer drives the latter in the usual manner. Whether the pad a is pressed lor not the knobl of the stem 7L .may be pressed upon by the arm of the operator to depress theend g of the lever e, fork 7c and bell-crank .end for the same purpose. Thus' the `pad av and lknob stem /t` may be 'used in conjunction and yet allow the yopslidable means on said table operated by pressure olf a part ofthe body above the legs for operating said barto'inovethe movable clutch member into operative engagementwvith thestationary vclutch member,

and means whereby said lever, said bar and said slidable means will lbe automatically restored to normal, and said movable clutchv member will be permitted to move out of engagement Awith `said stationary clutch member, .when said pressure is removed.

2. A clutch operating mechanism, com- Y arisinef` avvorktable a su ortinfr frame a movable clutch member `co-operating With astationary clutch member, a lever pivoted 4toisaid frame andV operative upon the'movable clutch member, an oscillating bar pivoted tolsaid frame intermediate its ends and connected at oneend yto said lever, a rod .slidable onsaid table and carrying a'pad,

means on said rod for oscillating ,saidV bar when pressure is appliedthereto by a part ofthe body above the legs, and means for returning said rod to its inoperative position.

8..A clutch operating mechanism, comprising a Work table, a supporting `frame,`

a movable clutch member co-operating With a stationary clutch member, a lever pivoted t?) said 'frame and operative upon the mov-k ra le bai' pivoted to `said frameintermediate its ends and, connected atene endto said lever, a rod slidable on said table,a pad atene end ot said rod adapted to receive pressure :of a 'part of the. body vabove the legs, an

member of said clutch, an oscillating ofiset surface o n said-rod ',adapted,'vvhen .depressed, yto engage saidoscillating-bar and partially rotate the same about its pivot, and means for returning said rod to its inoperative position, v

A clutch operatingmechanism4 compri-sing' in combination a sewing machine table,a pad to receive pressure from a part;`

of the body near the Waist, a bent rod fixed to the'pad at right angles' thereto and mowV able lengthwise, means for ,returning said pad to its inoperative position, a vrlever mounted transversely oi said bent rod With ,p

one extremity arranged to engagethe bent portion thereof, a lrnob'adapted to be operated by a part of the body adjacentltlie el-` bow and mounted to slide through said sewing machine table and operate the said lever v at its end remote from the bent rrodrportion,

`mea-ns for returning said knob to its `normal position, an oscillating bar pivoted at oneend and adapted to engage the lever its free end, a member in engagement with said oscillating bar for transmitting movement therefrom to a device forplacing the Aclutch surfaces in contact each with the otlieigsubstantially as hereindescribed.

` viviiii/iivi envia 'JAivisseAxrNuAie Witnesses: f

JOHN EDWARD TURNER, l A. T. lKniimiir. i 

